Previously:
"I suggest we let Miss Evans get some sleep. I daresay she has had a long couple of months." Dumbledore said. The others nodded and went to kiss her cheek and hug her. After everyone had left, with James being the last one out of the door (he had to be dragged out by Mrs. Potter), Madame Pomfrey came out with a steaming goblet of potion and told her to drink up. After Lily practically gagged, she fell into a peaceful sleep.
~*~*~*~*~
"Really Madame Pomfrey, I'm feeling so much better!" Lily insisted, nearly banging her hands on the bed she was sitting up in, feeling a tantrum coming on.
The stubborn nurse glared, annoyed at her.
"I've been in here for two days. How much better could I get? Honestly." She asked, keeping her tone polite.
"Miss Evans. I still have to run some tes-," Madame Pomfrey began.
"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary, Poppy." A voice said from the doorway. Lily sighed in relief.
"Albus, I really do think that-," Madame Pomfrey began, testily.
Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her, "Poppy, I personally believe that Miss Evans could not be healthier. I was with you when you ran that recent test, remember? I found nothing wrong with her; therefore, with no reason to stay in here, I think it would be best if she was released."
Lily smiled, satisfied, while Madame Pomfrey seemed to be having an internal battle with herself. Dumbledore looked discreetly over at Lily, and winked.
"Fine," Madame Pomfrey huffed at last. She turned her attention to Lily and said stiffly, worry still apparent in her eyes, "Miss Evans, as soon as you dress, you may leave." Lily shrieked in delight and jumped out of bed quickly. Then, she hugged Dumbledore, an action that surprised both himself and Madame Pomfrey both. Without another word, she skipped happily into one of the lavatories with some of her clothes.
Dumbledore smiled over at Madame Pomfrey and said, "See? What did I tell you, good as new."
~*~*~
Lily walked out of the bathroom, thirty minutes later showered and refreshed, to see her four very best friends sitting around her previously occupied bed. James was the first to look up at her as she walked quietly over to them.
For a instant, when their eyes connected, time seemed to stop. Lily quirked her head to one side, thoughtfully, looking deep into the depths of his chocolate orbs. He looked back at her with the same thoughtful look; his eyes practically reflected some of the sparkle from her eyes. Lily smiled softly at him; the smile he loved so much. A small smile formed on his lips as well. For that split-second, looking into each other's eyes, something inside each of them seemed to come to life. Lily felt more energized, James felt more at peace.
That precious moment between the two was interrupted as Sirius, who had obviously noticed Lily right after James, jumped up from his chair and shouted, "Lileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" he rushed over at picked her up, twirling her around in a circle.
Lily laughed, a thrilling feeling coming to her as he did that. Finally, Sirius put her down and the boys realized she was wearing her normal uniform instead of the usual hospital gowns.
"Why are you wearing the school uniform?" Peter asked, brows furrowed.
Lily replied, her hands motioning to the disgruntled nurse at the end of the Infirmary, "Madame Pomfrey finally let me go."
Their eye brows shot up in surprise, "After only two days?" Remus asked.
"How did you manage that?" James asked, awe in his voice.
Lily smiled and said, "I didn't. Dumbledore stopped by this morning and prompted her."
"Alright, well, anyway," Sirius said, changing the subject. "Let's dump this joint."
They snorted in reply, "Interesting choice of words, Padfoot." Remus said.
"Anyway, yeah, let's leave." They started towards the door.
"What day is it?" Lily asked thoughtfully as James opened the door and they all walked out.
"Tuesday." came the reply from Remus.
Lily nodded and checked her watch, "Well, then, let's get some breakfast quick. I don't want to miss out on the first class."
"We have the whole week off, Lils." James explained, putting his arm around her shoulders like they always were, "You didn't think we would have to go through all that with Voldemort and not even get a 'slack-off' time for it, did you?" he joked.
Lily groaned while the other four smiled at her behavior. It was so expected. "But, I haven't been in school for '5 months'!" she whined, good- naturedly. "Honestly, I need the practice!"
"Lily, you know I would be the first person to back you up on that," Remus started, "But, I have to go with Dumbledore on this one. I think, you more than the rest of us, deserve this break."
James, Sirius, and Peter all nodded their heads in agreement. "Lily you've been through so much this school year, let's just take it easy for now, alright."
Lily sighed and nodded her head, somewhat dejectedly, "I guess you're right." She replied.
"But we'll still do that breakfast thing. I mean, we're here and all anyway." Remus said.
"FOOD!!!!!!!" Sirius shouted suddenly and unexpectedly. Lily jumped about a foot in the air and started to laugh with the rest of them.
"Ickle, Lily-Lilsby," Sirius started as he moved forward and surprised her yet again by lifting her onto his back, "For scaring you, I think I'll give you a piggy-back ride to our seats."
"Sirius Xavier Black, put me down this INSTANT!" Lily objected, trying to get off his back, but, because of her delicate size, she was no match against him. Eventually, she gave up.
Remus opened the doors to the Great Hall and Lily immediately buried her face into Sirius' back to hide her blushing face. Despite herself, Lily giggled with the rest of them. When, what seemed like forever, they reached their seats, Lily finally looked up at the crowds of people in the Great Hall. Many were staring at the group, chuckling cheerfully at them.
Lily looked down at her plate, suddenly feeling timid. Regardless of the fact that Dumbledore told her about everything, she still felt self- conscious about everything they had said to her. The rest of the Marauders noticed her sudden mood change and understood. James grasped her hand in his from her left side and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Just at that moment, Dumbledore came into the Great Hall, talking with little professor Flitwick. He looked up and caught her eye for a moment, smiling slightly. When he reached the front table and walked to his chair in the middle, McGonagall tapped her water goblet, smiling a little in Lily's direction, to gain the attention of everyone in the Great Hall.
Within a few seconds, the hall had quieted down, curious as to what Dumbledore had to say to them.
He looked as though he were about to burst with happiness, a look that hadn't crossed his face very much this year, so they were all a little interested about what he could possibly be telling them. "Students, pupils, teachers of Hogwarts," he began, his eyes flickering to the Gryffindor table, "I believe I have some wonderful news that most of you will be pleased to know. As you are probably already aware of, Lily Evans is joining us today."
Tons of eyes flickered over to where the Marauders were sitting. Loads of catcalls and whistles were heard. Frank Longbottom waved to her from a few seats away, and the head boy and girl both nodded and smiled to her.
"You all do not know, though, what has been happening right from under our noses. I won't go into that detail, all I will say is that, two days ago, Miss Evans had quite an experience that somewhat helped her. She has gained her memory back and is in perfect health with us today. I would like everyone to join me in a round of applause to say 'Welcome Back, Lily'."
Before he could even finish his speech, though, a burst of applause tore through the hall. A few people shouted something welcoming to her that she had to strain to hear through the loud whistles. Lily blushed and looked down at her plate, a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention directed towards her.
Dumbledore finally held up a hand and quieted down the hall. Beaming at the Marauders, he continued, "And I do believe that I owe some students some points that they more than deserve."
Lily looked at the guys, glowing at them.
"To Mr. Peter Pettigrew," Peter's ears turned a bright red as he let out a squeak of surprise, "I award 30 points for braving the long corridors and halls to come and inform me in a time of need."
The Gryffindor table cheered loudly, some clapping Peter on the back. "Next, to Mr. Remus Lupin," Remus bent his head down, hiding a small smile, "For keeping his courageousness, even when Death stared him in the face, I award Gryffindor 40 points." More clapping and cheering ensued.
"Next, to Mr. Sirius Black," Sirius got the most applause so far, mostly from his female admirers. Sirius, unlike Remus and Peter, simply winked at them all and waved with grace and confidence, "I award Gryffindor, 50 points, for saving the life of James Potter.
"Next, to Mr. James Potter, for an outstanding amount of courage and quick thinking, for saving the life of Lily Evans," Lily glanced at James for a moment before smiling widely, an action he gladly returned as he gave her hand another squeeze, "I award 55 points to Gryffindor." The Gryffindors were practically on the edge of their seats from all the excitement.
Dumbledore raised his hand for silence and then said when everyone quieted, "And finally, to Miss Lily Evans. I believe she deserves every last one of these points, for her courage, persistence, determination, and kindness throughout the whole ordeal. I award Miss Evans, 70 points." That did it for the Gryffindors. Each one of them stood up at once and practically threw themselves on all five of them, clapping backs, shaking hands, and thanking them.
It took about the next ten minutes for them all to quiet down. Lily and the rest of the Marauders were all back in their seats, as well with the rest of the Gryffindors, and were finishing their breakfasts.
"Peter, you blockhead, the Canons are a sure thing this year. Remember, they just got that new Seeker, Davis." Sirius was arguing with Peter.
"No way, Padfoot, it's definitely the Clovers this year. They've got Morranis." Peter argued right back.
James was listening with amusement for a few minutes before he finally decided to input his opinion, "You two are both sorely mistaken. The cup is without a doubt, going to the Canons. They've got Williams, Jones, 'and' McDowell."
Lily and Remus had blocked out the disagreement as they started up their own conversation. "Well, Adreas Damos came out with another book about 3 months ago; I've got mine if you would like to read it."
"Oh, that would be great, Moony, I loved her last two. Thanks." she said as Remus handed her the book.
"Hey Lily! Wanna go out with me!?" someone unexpectedly shouted from across the hall just them.
Lily and Remus' head snapped up, as well as the previously tuned-out James, Sirius, and Peter. Soon, every person in the Great Hall was watching with interest. All four boys scowled at another boy at the Ravenclaw table. Then, in a split-second, everyone in the hall, minus the Slytherians, started to laugh merrily. Things were defiantly back to normal.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At dinner that day, Lily and the guys were sitting just as they were before at their place at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. They hadn't really done that much today, just lounged around in their common room, and even snuck off to Hogsmeade to stock up on their supplies of pranks and sweets.
"Can you believe that they got rid of that clothing store, 'The Witches' Wardrobe'?" Lily asked them, astonished.
They just snickered in amusement. "Lils, darling, we really 'do' need to get you out more." Sirius said, only half joking.
"That store has been gone since the middle of November." James explained, fighting off a smile.
Lily suddenly snapped her head up, eye widened. "What am I doing just sitting here? The OWLs are 3 months away and I've missed 5 months of studying!" She jumped out of her seat, taking hold of James' and Sirius' arms, the two that were sitting right next to her, and said to them all, "Come on, we've got to head to the library! I bet that's where all the fifth and seventh years are!" She was right, all the tables in the hall were lacking most of those years.
"Aw Lils. Let us have a break, will you." Sirius started whining, "We had a long day."
"Nonsense." Lily said, not really listening to his pleas, just pulling them to their feet as Remus and Peter reluctantly followed from across the table.
Lily marched in front of them as the guys dragged their feet out the hall. Sirius had grabbed a large handful of food and was now eating; the others begging him to share it. When they reached the doors, they walked out and continued their way towards the library.
They hadn't been walking for five minutes before someone, or shall I say 3 someones, appeared about ten feet ahead of them after rounding a corner, walking towards the Great Hall.
It was Cassandra and her gang. Lily had every intention of just walking passed them, still feeling the pain from when James and the rest started dating them to get back at her. Apparently, though, Cassandra had other plans.
She muttered something to Stacy and Kelly. The two girls looked confused for a moment, then, without a word to anyone else, walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall by themselves.
"Evans, can I, like, speak to you for, like, a minute?" Cassandra asked, looking as though she were going to be kicking herself later for doing this.
Lily looked back at James and the rest to see their reactions. James was looking right back at her, asking her silently if she wanted them to go, Sirius was scowling at Cassandra, Remus was raising an eyebrow at Cassandra, and Peter looked as confused as Kelly and Stacy did. Lily nodded at James, answering his question. James sighed and nodded back before he grabbed Sirius' arm and tucked at him, he looked at Remus and Peter and jerked his head towards the library.
Without a word, all four boys left Lily's side, giving her meaningful glances that she smiled back to.
Lily turned back to Cassandra, raising her eyebrows in question, "What did you want?" she asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.
Cassandra, for once, seemed to be at loss for words, "I...uh, like...I just wanted to say...Um..." she sighed and rolled her eyes, mad at herself for being flustered. Finally, she said simply, "I'm happy you're, like, better."
Lily's eyes widened in complete and total astonishment. Never in a million years had she expected this. Cassandra was actually showing some compassion? The words 'Cassandra' and 'compassion' didn't fit in the same sentence. Lily giggled inwardly at seeing the sullen look Cassandra had.
"Thank you." Lily said quietly, feeling a little awkward. Then, Cassandra did something that would have made even Voldemort himself die of a heart attack.
Cassandra hugged her. Mind you, it was very stiffly indeed, and she pulled away as quickly as she came. Cassandra looked down at her feet while Lily seemed to be frozen on the spot, staring at her, shocked.
They stood that way for about a full minute before Cassandra finally spoke up, in her normal, snotty voice and said, "This, like, doesn't mean we're, like, friends or anything, Evans."
Even though her tone was icy, Lily could also detect a little worry in her voice. Lily suddenly smirked with one eyebrow raised, and said as she shook her head positively, "Wouldn't have it any other way, Wellington."
A ghost of a smile formed on Cassandra's face, but disappeared before Lily was even sure it was real. "Good," Cassandra said swiftly, sniffing haughtily, then went on, "Well, then, I better be off to dinner. Oh," she concluded to Lily, "and this conversation...It never happened." And she walked off without a backwards glance.
Lily smiled, a little amused at all this. She breathed a deep breathe, realizing that nobody hated her, and life was now back to normal.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lily never did tell the Marauders what happened that night in the corridors. Sure, they had asked about it, and were a little suspicious when Lily told them that it really was nothing, but they respected her decision and didn't pry into the matter.
The night before the final Quidditch match, Gryffindor vs. Slytherian, in the middle of April, Lily could not sleep at all. Flashes and memories of her previous fall kept filling in her mind. She did manage to dose off for about fifteen minutes, but awoke panting and sweating from a horrible dream she had had. She was up in the air, alone, none of her teammates or the other team members were out with her. Though, she was surrounded by thousands of students laughing at her, criticizing her. Then, the deadly bludger appeared in sight. Only it wasn't a bludger, it was Voldemort's head, and it was scowling and shouted out obscenities at her. Lily looked around for any help whatsoever, and miraculously, there was James, on his broom, zooming to catch her in time before Voldemort would force her off her broom. But, like in reality, James couldn't get to her and she fell off the broom after being stuck in the stomach by the head. She was falling, never breaking eye contact with James as he soared through the air, trying with all his might to reach her in time. She was nearing the ground. Falling, falling, falling...
That was when she woke up and got out of bed for a glass of water. When she hopped in bed again, she tried to fall back asleep, but she couldn't. Sighing, she flung her covers off her and grabbed her diary and a quilt from her bed. Tip-toeing down the stairs noiselessly, she saw that the fire in the common room was still lit and crackling softly.
She must have written in her diary for more than an hour that night. She couldn't remember what time she fell asleep, the only thing she remembered was sitting in one of her favorite arm chairs, writing intently, then the next second, being shaken softly on the shoulder by Remus, telling her to wake up.
"We've got Quidditch today, remember?" he asked with a smile.
Lily blinked a few time before smiling and nodded slowly, "Yeah, what time is it?" she asked, her voice crackling a little.
"It's about 8. James and Sirius and Peter are upstairs, still getting dressed. You better get up as well." He suggested. Lily nodded again and gradually got out of the chair.
"Want us to wait for you?" Remus asked.
Lily turned her head a little from the stairway and said a little more alert than before, "Na, you guys go ahead. I'll meet you down there." She answered.
Remus nodded and sat down in the chair previously occupied by Lily, waiting for James, Sirius, and Peter.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Thirty minutes later, Lily bounced down the stairs, a little nervous about the match. Just as the common room came into view, Lily smiled affectionately when she saw the Marauders sitting on the couch, talking about something she couldn't hear. She walked over trying to look stern, but failing horribly.
"Lillers is here." Sirius announced when he noticed her. James turned around and smiled at her from his place on the couch next to Sirius, and Remus and Peter looked up from where they were sitting in two of the arm chairs.
"I told you that you guys could go down. You didn't have to wait." Lily said to Remus, still smiling.
Remus shrugged, "That's what I told them. But James wouldn't allow it."
"Anyway," James cut in, fighting off a blush. He stood up and the others followed suit, "We should go to breakfast." He grabbed hold of Lily's hand and Sirius grabbed her other hand.
"Hey, Wormtail." Lily said as she leaned forward to see him walking along side Sirius.
"What?" he asked, leaning forward as well.
"Did you get that Potions homework that I was helping you with?" she asked.
"I got a little bit of it, I still think I need some help, though." He added a bit sheepishly.
"No problem," Lily said nonchalantly, "I'll explain it again to you tonight."
"We may actually pass these exams." James said laughingly.
"With all this studying Lils and Moony are making us do, I wouldn't be surprised if we all got O's on them all." Lily playfully shoved Sirius.
"At least you aren't breaking more girls' hearts this way." Lily said jokingly.
"Nope, studying isn't keeping me away from the ladies," Sirius said with a proud smile, "I've got a late night rendezvous with Kallie Miller tonight."
Lily shook her head, but still squeezed his hand affectionately. No matter how much Sirius' actions annoyed her, she wouldn't have it any other way.
They reached the Great Hall just then. Remus pulled opened the doors and they all went in, sitting with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team today. Many girls waved flirtatiously at James, Sirius, and Remus. Vise versa with Lily and guys.
Lily looked around at the team expectantly, then sighed in mock- exasperation when she saw that they all looked edgy and jumpy. Not a single one of them were eating, just staring at their plates. She knew she couldn't blame them, heck, even she was nervous, it was after all, their last game. But, still, they needed to eat.
'Guess it's time to start up the tradition again.' Lily thought to herself.
"Now team," she started abruptly, causing them all to look up, startled at her outburst, but those surprised looks were quickly replaced by forming smiles. They all knew what was coming. Cripes, the entire Gryffindor table knew what was coming, since they all quieted down and watched the familiar scene. Lily went on, oblivious to the stares she got from a lot of the students, and even some teachers, "must I always repeat myself. Like I've said millions and 'trillions'," she did her customary arm stretching to accent her point, "No fuel in the belly, no fire in the brain." And she started to pile all their plates high with food of all sorts.
Suddenly, the team didn't seem too nervous about the game.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright, team," James started, prepping the team in the locker room. He glanced over at Lily, eyes twinkling excitedly, "One more Quidditch game of the year and we've got our star chaser back for it. Know what that mean?"
"It means, NO MORE LOCKHART!" Eric, one of the chasers with Molly and Lily, exclaimed, high-fiving Sirius.
They all burst out laughing, thinking of the little scrawny 3rd year.
"No," James said once they all quieted down, "It means, we can actually beat Slytherians." Everyone cheered as Lily blushed, but still gave Remus thumbs up when he caught her eye and cheered.
"Now, I know we've beat both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. That's why we're here." He said obviously. "The only thing keeping us from the Cup is those bloody Slytherians. With Lily completing the team, we're unbeatable. Molly, Eric and Lily do wonderful teamwork. Remus and Sirius, keep up the excellent work with those bludgers like last time, and Derek, just stay alert and we'll definitely win."
Once again, the team cheered and James shouted over the noise, "NOW LET'S GO KICK SOME SLYTHERIAN BUTT!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"HE'S GOT THE SNITCH! PRON- I MEAN, POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH! ALRIGHT JAMES!!!!!!!!!!!! 350-200 GRYFFINDOR WINS! Gryffindor WINS!" everyone could hear Peter shout from the commentary box. The crowd went wild. Slytherians in the stadium were shouting "Foul! They cheated!" but the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuffs, and most of all, the Gryffindors were cheering deafeningly.
Lily, along with Remus and Sirius, zoomed their brooms over to James, who was absolutely glowing in satisfaction, waving the snitch around wildly. They all three tackled him when they reached the ground.
"WE WON, WE WON!" Sirius was shouting over the growing crowd on the pitch.
"YES, 350-200, WE WON!!!!!" Remus shouted along with him.
"James, that was GREAT!" Lily exclaimed, hugging him fiercely, which he gladly returned, and kissed him on the cheek.
Before she pulled away, he whispered in her ear, "Meet me by the lake at seven." Lily nodded to him, still beaming. She was about to say something, but she was engulfed into the crowd.
All day that day, they were all stopped in the hall, congratulated and praised for their wonderful skills that day.
Around lunchtime, most of the students were in the Great Hall. Lily was a little curious about what James wanted to talk to her about, but she didn't pry on the subject, he would tell her then, she just had to wait.
"I can't believe we won." Lily said, still beaming with pride at them all.
"I can, you guys played bloody well today." Frank told them.
James was about to say something, but was interrupted by Rodger Millet, a fifth year Hufflepuff, "Hi Lily." He said somewhat arrogantly. The Marauders knew where this was going. James turned his head towards Sirius, Remus and Peter for a second, raising his eyebrow at them. Sirius and Remus simultaneously shook their heads, their eyebrows raised as well. Peter rolled his eyes at the boy. Lily was listening to him as he congratulated and complimented her, but was inwardly begging for a rescue from one of the guys, "Want to go out with-,"
"Alright, alright," Sirius started, holding up his hand to stop Rodger from continuing. Rodger gulped, knowing he had not passed the Marauder's test. Sirius went on, "What do you think this is, 'Charity Day'? When have we every let her date?"
"I...uh, I mean, uh..." Rodger stuttered, bracing himself for hexing.
James stood up and said in a calm voice, glancing at Lily's pleading eyes before doing so, "Since we're all in a good mood, we'll let this go by." Rodger let out a breath of relief. James went on, "But don't let it happen again."
Rodger shook his head so fast Lily was afraid it would snap in half, "Oh, no sir, I mean, James, it will 'never' happen again. I promise." He said in a quick, high pitched voice.
He just stood there, staring at them all until Sirius spoke up with an eyebrow raised and said in a patronizing voice as though he were talking to a two year old, "You may go."
Rodger turned beat red and rushed off. Lily turned back to the group and said almost sternly, "Honestly you guys, can't you give them a break?"
"You mean you actually wanted to go out with him?" Remus asked incredulously.
"Well, no, but still, everyone is terrified of you guys." Lily sighed and said, fighting off a laugh, "What 'will' I do with you four?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'She's not going to show, she's not going to show,' James repeated silently to himself as he checked his watch. 7:05. 'This was a mistake, I should have never told her to come.'
James was outside, by the lake. It was beautiful scenery. The sun was just starting to set and the shimmering water looked like thousands of crystals all in a large bowl. The cool, comforting breeze swayed the trees all around him, making a soothing rustling. James was dressed in his regular school uniform, although he didn't have his tie on and his sleeves were rolled up casually.
He had seated himself on a rock, staring out into the lake, inwardly panicking. Lily had yet to show up, and James was half relieved. Tonight, he planned on telling her about how he felt about her.
Just at that moment, James turned around at a sound. Lily came panting up behind him, looking fluster, but lovely. She too had her uniform on, although she still had her tie on, but it had been loosened. She was probably one of the few that could actually look attractive in that uniform. Her hair stumbled passed her shoulders. James realized just how much it had grew since last year.
She looked incredible.
"I-I'm sorry James. I...I fell asleep...and...just woke...up," she managed to gasp out, clutching a stitch on her side. Her face had a pink tinge to it, and James thought it looked absolutely adorable.
He got up and walked over to her, "That's ok, Lils, it's only 7:08."
Lily smiled at him, still catching her breath and said as she sat down on a rock, and he sat down on one next to it, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
James breath suddenly came in ragged gasps. This was it. It was time to finally tell her how he felt. He looked at her squarely in the eye. Her eyes, so green, so wonderfully green, showing concern.
"Is something wrong, James? Is it your family? Did something happen?" she asked, a little frantic.
James shook his head quickly and finally found his voice, "N-no, it's nothing bad. Actually, I guess it depends on your point of view." Seeing her confused looked, he went on, "Um...this is really hard to say." He confessed as he ran his hand through his hair absently.
Lily took his hand in her small one, "James, it's me, you can tell me anything."
James took a deep, "Ok. Y-You see Lily, the thing is, well, I've always liked-,"
"Prongs, Flower, fancy seeing you two here!" a voice shouted from behind them. They both spun around to see Sirius walking casually up to them.
Lily smiled while James hid a scowl. "Oh, Sirius," James began in an emotionless voice, "What on earth are you doing here?"
"I have a date I'm meeting here in a few minutes," Sirius said, leaning up against a tree. "What are you two doing out here?" he asked curiously.
"James wanted to talk." Lily said simply. She had a feeling it was something he didn't want to say in front of Sirius, so she said as she got up of her rock, "We can discuss this later in the common room, alright hon."
James forced a smile and nodded, watching as she walked off.
"Bye Lils!" Sirius shouted after her, she looked back and waved.
James then turned his attention to Sirius, scowling at him in frustration now, "Impeccable timing, Sirius." He said sarcastically before he walked off.
Sirius shrugged, confused, but his attention was captured a few seconds later by his date walking through the lawn towards him. "Kal-lie." He said in a sing-song voice as he offered her his arm.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite Lily's words, James didn't get a chance to talk to her alone that night. Or any other night for that matter. Remus made sure that every night was spent on studying. Lily agreed whole-heartedly with him. She had been doing pretty well on catching up on all her subjects. Different people would help her, let her copy down their notes, pronounce the spells correctly for her, and so on.
Pretty soon, before anyone knew it, May 30th, D-day Eve, had come. Literally every 7th year and 5th year, yes every 5th year, meaning Cassandra and her lackeys, were all in the common room till the wee hours of the night, studying like mad. A tense lot they were. One time, around 8:30 that night, a 1st year accidentally made that bed choice of sneezing 'twice'. Halfway through the poor boy's second sneeze, a much stressed seventh year named Edgar Finnly snapped at him to "SHUT UP!"
After that incident, almost all of the lower classmen and sixth years retreated to their dormitory for the night, leaving the others to study in peace.
It was now around 11:30 and Lily and the Marauders were sitting on a couch and arm chairs surrounding the fire. Lily was reading over some of her notes casually, fully confident that she knew this stuff now, Remus, James, and Peter were all reading frantically in their text books, and Sirius appeared to be just as calm as Lily was about all this, for he had fallen asleep in his armchair.
Suddenly, without a warning to anyone else in the common room, Peter shouted insanely, "Tomorrow's the OWLs!" every seventh year "SHHH!" him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N- I am so sorry it took so long to update. I'm going to stick to the normal, overused excuse of "First Week of School Syndrome". Anyway, enough of my mindless blabbing that no one cares about. How about I type something that is a little bit interesting? Here's the preview ladies and gentleman. Oh, by the way, to EbonyQuill- Is It Really You? will be ending when they die. It still has quite a bit of chapters to go. ;-)
*"I don't know what you are all worried about. It's going to be so easy."
*"Anyone else feel like they're walking to their deaths?"
*"You may begin."
*"That was really hard."
*"I dunno, I thought I did pretty well."
*"So, same thing as last year?"
*"We still need to do an end-of-year prank."
*"Potter, I swear, one of these days..."
*"Oh my gosh! Eww!"
*"Bye Cassandra."
*"You start up your Prefect duties next year."
*"I can't wait to see her again."
*"I can't on the first day. Let's make it the day after tomorrow."
*"I better go get changed."
*"Here we are."
"I suggest we let Miss Evans get some sleep. I daresay she has had a long couple of months." Dumbledore said. The others nodded and went to kiss her cheek and hug her. After everyone had left, with James being the last one out of the door (he had to be dragged out by Mrs. Potter), Madame Pomfrey came out with a steaming goblet of potion and told her to drink up. After Lily practically gagged, she fell into a peaceful sleep.
~*~*~*~*~
"Really Madame Pomfrey, I'm feeling so much better!" Lily insisted, nearly banging her hands on the bed she was sitting up in, feeling a tantrum coming on.
The stubborn nurse glared, annoyed at her.
"I've been in here for two days. How much better could I get? Honestly." She asked, keeping her tone polite.
"Miss Evans. I still have to run some tes-," Madame Pomfrey began.
"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary, Poppy." A voice said from the doorway. Lily sighed in relief.
"Albus, I really do think that-," Madame Pomfrey began, testily.
Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her, "Poppy, I personally believe that Miss Evans could not be healthier. I was with you when you ran that recent test, remember? I found nothing wrong with her; therefore, with no reason to stay in here, I think it would be best if she was released."
Lily smiled, satisfied, while Madame Pomfrey seemed to be having an internal battle with herself. Dumbledore looked discreetly over at Lily, and winked.
"Fine," Madame Pomfrey huffed at last. She turned her attention to Lily and said stiffly, worry still apparent in her eyes, "Miss Evans, as soon as you dress, you may leave." Lily shrieked in delight and jumped out of bed quickly. Then, she hugged Dumbledore, an action that surprised both himself and Madame Pomfrey both. Without another word, she skipped happily into one of the lavatories with some of her clothes.
Dumbledore smiled over at Madame Pomfrey and said, "See? What did I tell you, good as new."
~*~*~
Lily walked out of the bathroom, thirty minutes later showered and refreshed, to see her four very best friends sitting around her previously occupied bed. James was the first to look up at her as she walked quietly over to them.
For a instant, when their eyes connected, time seemed to stop. Lily quirked her head to one side, thoughtfully, looking deep into the depths of his chocolate orbs. He looked back at her with the same thoughtful look; his eyes practically reflected some of the sparkle from her eyes. Lily smiled softly at him; the smile he loved so much. A small smile formed on his lips as well. For that split-second, looking into each other's eyes, something inside each of them seemed to come to life. Lily felt more energized, James felt more at peace.
That precious moment between the two was interrupted as Sirius, who had obviously noticed Lily right after James, jumped up from his chair and shouted, "Lileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" he rushed over at picked her up, twirling her around in a circle.
Lily laughed, a thrilling feeling coming to her as he did that. Finally, Sirius put her down and the boys realized she was wearing her normal uniform instead of the usual hospital gowns.
"Why are you wearing the school uniform?" Peter asked, brows furrowed.
Lily replied, her hands motioning to the disgruntled nurse at the end of the Infirmary, "Madame Pomfrey finally let me go."
Their eye brows shot up in surprise, "After only two days?" Remus asked.
"How did you manage that?" James asked, awe in his voice.
Lily smiled and said, "I didn't. Dumbledore stopped by this morning and prompted her."
"Alright, well, anyway," Sirius said, changing the subject. "Let's dump this joint."
They snorted in reply, "Interesting choice of words, Padfoot." Remus said.
"Anyway, yeah, let's leave." They started towards the door.
"What day is it?" Lily asked thoughtfully as James opened the door and they all walked out.
"Tuesday." came the reply from Remus.
Lily nodded and checked her watch, "Well, then, let's get some breakfast quick. I don't want to miss out on the first class."
"We have the whole week off, Lils." James explained, putting his arm around her shoulders like they always were, "You didn't think we would have to go through all that with Voldemort and not even get a 'slack-off' time for it, did you?" he joked.
Lily groaned while the other four smiled at her behavior. It was so expected. "But, I haven't been in school for '5 months'!" she whined, good- naturedly. "Honestly, I need the practice!"
"Lily, you know I would be the first person to back you up on that," Remus started, "But, I have to go with Dumbledore on this one. I think, you more than the rest of us, deserve this break."
James, Sirius, and Peter all nodded their heads in agreement. "Lily you've been through so much this school year, let's just take it easy for now, alright."
Lily sighed and nodded her head, somewhat dejectedly, "I guess you're right." She replied.
"But we'll still do that breakfast thing. I mean, we're here and all anyway." Remus said.
"FOOD!!!!!!!" Sirius shouted suddenly and unexpectedly. Lily jumped about a foot in the air and started to laugh with the rest of them.
"Ickle, Lily-Lilsby," Sirius started as he moved forward and surprised her yet again by lifting her onto his back, "For scaring you, I think I'll give you a piggy-back ride to our seats."
"Sirius Xavier Black, put me down this INSTANT!" Lily objected, trying to get off his back, but, because of her delicate size, she was no match against him. Eventually, she gave up.
Remus opened the doors to the Great Hall and Lily immediately buried her face into Sirius' back to hide her blushing face. Despite herself, Lily giggled with the rest of them. When, what seemed like forever, they reached their seats, Lily finally looked up at the crowds of people in the Great Hall. Many were staring at the group, chuckling cheerfully at them.
Lily looked down at her plate, suddenly feeling timid. Regardless of the fact that Dumbledore told her about everything, she still felt self- conscious about everything they had said to her. The rest of the Marauders noticed her sudden mood change and understood. James grasped her hand in his from her left side and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Just at that moment, Dumbledore came into the Great Hall, talking with little professor Flitwick. He looked up and caught her eye for a moment, smiling slightly. When he reached the front table and walked to his chair in the middle, McGonagall tapped her water goblet, smiling a little in Lily's direction, to gain the attention of everyone in the Great Hall.
Within a few seconds, the hall had quieted down, curious as to what Dumbledore had to say to them.
He looked as though he were about to burst with happiness, a look that hadn't crossed his face very much this year, so they were all a little interested about what he could possibly be telling them. "Students, pupils, teachers of Hogwarts," he began, his eyes flickering to the Gryffindor table, "I believe I have some wonderful news that most of you will be pleased to know. As you are probably already aware of, Lily Evans is joining us today."
Tons of eyes flickered over to where the Marauders were sitting. Loads of catcalls and whistles were heard. Frank Longbottom waved to her from a few seats away, and the head boy and girl both nodded and smiled to her.
"You all do not know, though, what has been happening right from under our noses. I won't go into that detail, all I will say is that, two days ago, Miss Evans had quite an experience that somewhat helped her. She has gained her memory back and is in perfect health with us today. I would like everyone to join me in a round of applause to say 'Welcome Back, Lily'."
Before he could even finish his speech, though, a burst of applause tore through the hall. A few people shouted something welcoming to her that she had to strain to hear through the loud whistles. Lily blushed and looked down at her plate, a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention directed towards her.
Dumbledore finally held up a hand and quieted down the hall. Beaming at the Marauders, he continued, "And I do believe that I owe some students some points that they more than deserve."
Lily looked at the guys, glowing at them.
"To Mr. Peter Pettigrew," Peter's ears turned a bright red as he let out a squeak of surprise, "I award 30 points for braving the long corridors and halls to come and inform me in a time of need."
The Gryffindor table cheered loudly, some clapping Peter on the back. "Next, to Mr. Remus Lupin," Remus bent his head down, hiding a small smile, "For keeping his courageousness, even when Death stared him in the face, I award Gryffindor 40 points." More clapping and cheering ensued.
"Next, to Mr. Sirius Black," Sirius got the most applause so far, mostly from his female admirers. Sirius, unlike Remus and Peter, simply winked at them all and waved with grace and confidence, "I award Gryffindor, 50 points, for saving the life of James Potter.
"Next, to Mr. James Potter, for an outstanding amount of courage and quick thinking, for saving the life of Lily Evans," Lily glanced at James for a moment before smiling widely, an action he gladly returned as he gave her hand another squeeze, "I award 55 points to Gryffindor." The Gryffindors were practically on the edge of their seats from all the excitement.
Dumbledore raised his hand for silence and then said when everyone quieted, "And finally, to Miss Lily Evans. I believe she deserves every last one of these points, for her courage, persistence, determination, and kindness throughout the whole ordeal. I award Miss Evans, 70 points." That did it for the Gryffindors. Each one of them stood up at once and practically threw themselves on all five of them, clapping backs, shaking hands, and thanking them.
It took about the next ten minutes for them all to quiet down. Lily and the rest of the Marauders were all back in their seats, as well with the rest of the Gryffindors, and were finishing their breakfasts.
"Peter, you blockhead, the Canons are a sure thing this year. Remember, they just got that new Seeker, Davis." Sirius was arguing with Peter.
"No way, Padfoot, it's definitely the Clovers this year. They've got Morranis." Peter argued right back.
James was listening with amusement for a few minutes before he finally decided to input his opinion, "You two are both sorely mistaken. The cup is without a doubt, going to the Canons. They've got Williams, Jones, 'and' McDowell."
Lily and Remus had blocked out the disagreement as they started up their own conversation. "Well, Adreas Damos came out with another book about 3 months ago; I've got mine if you would like to read it."
"Oh, that would be great, Moony, I loved her last two. Thanks." she said as Remus handed her the book.
"Hey Lily! Wanna go out with me!?" someone unexpectedly shouted from across the hall just them.
Lily and Remus' head snapped up, as well as the previously tuned-out James, Sirius, and Peter. Soon, every person in the Great Hall was watching with interest. All four boys scowled at another boy at the Ravenclaw table. Then, in a split-second, everyone in the hall, minus the Slytherians, started to laugh merrily. Things were defiantly back to normal.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At dinner that day, Lily and the guys were sitting just as they were before at their place at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. They hadn't really done that much today, just lounged around in their common room, and even snuck off to Hogsmeade to stock up on their supplies of pranks and sweets.
"Can you believe that they got rid of that clothing store, 'The Witches' Wardrobe'?" Lily asked them, astonished.
They just snickered in amusement. "Lils, darling, we really 'do' need to get you out more." Sirius said, only half joking.
"That store has been gone since the middle of November." James explained, fighting off a smile.
Lily suddenly snapped her head up, eye widened. "What am I doing just sitting here? The OWLs are 3 months away and I've missed 5 months of studying!" She jumped out of her seat, taking hold of James' and Sirius' arms, the two that were sitting right next to her, and said to them all, "Come on, we've got to head to the library! I bet that's where all the fifth and seventh years are!" She was right, all the tables in the hall were lacking most of those years.
"Aw Lils. Let us have a break, will you." Sirius started whining, "We had a long day."
"Nonsense." Lily said, not really listening to his pleas, just pulling them to their feet as Remus and Peter reluctantly followed from across the table.
Lily marched in front of them as the guys dragged their feet out the hall. Sirius had grabbed a large handful of food and was now eating; the others begging him to share it. When they reached the doors, they walked out and continued their way towards the library.
They hadn't been walking for five minutes before someone, or shall I say 3 someones, appeared about ten feet ahead of them after rounding a corner, walking towards the Great Hall.
It was Cassandra and her gang. Lily had every intention of just walking passed them, still feeling the pain from when James and the rest started dating them to get back at her. Apparently, though, Cassandra had other plans.
She muttered something to Stacy and Kelly. The two girls looked confused for a moment, then, without a word to anyone else, walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall by themselves.
"Evans, can I, like, speak to you for, like, a minute?" Cassandra asked, looking as though she were going to be kicking herself later for doing this.
Lily looked back at James and the rest to see their reactions. James was looking right back at her, asking her silently if she wanted them to go, Sirius was scowling at Cassandra, Remus was raising an eyebrow at Cassandra, and Peter looked as confused as Kelly and Stacy did. Lily nodded at James, answering his question. James sighed and nodded back before he grabbed Sirius' arm and tucked at him, he looked at Remus and Peter and jerked his head towards the library.
Without a word, all four boys left Lily's side, giving her meaningful glances that she smiled back to.
Lily turned back to Cassandra, raising her eyebrows in question, "What did you want?" she asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.
Cassandra, for once, seemed to be at loss for words, "I...uh, like...I just wanted to say...Um..." she sighed and rolled her eyes, mad at herself for being flustered. Finally, she said simply, "I'm happy you're, like, better."
Lily's eyes widened in complete and total astonishment. Never in a million years had she expected this. Cassandra was actually showing some compassion? The words 'Cassandra' and 'compassion' didn't fit in the same sentence. Lily giggled inwardly at seeing the sullen look Cassandra had.
"Thank you." Lily said quietly, feeling a little awkward. Then, Cassandra did something that would have made even Voldemort himself die of a heart attack.
Cassandra hugged her. Mind you, it was very stiffly indeed, and she pulled away as quickly as she came. Cassandra looked down at her feet while Lily seemed to be frozen on the spot, staring at her, shocked.
They stood that way for about a full minute before Cassandra finally spoke up, in her normal, snotty voice and said, "This, like, doesn't mean we're, like, friends or anything, Evans."
Even though her tone was icy, Lily could also detect a little worry in her voice. Lily suddenly smirked with one eyebrow raised, and said as she shook her head positively, "Wouldn't have it any other way, Wellington."
A ghost of a smile formed on Cassandra's face, but disappeared before Lily was even sure it was real. "Good," Cassandra said swiftly, sniffing haughtily, then went on, "Well, then, I better be off to dinner. Oh," she concluded to Lily, "and this conversation...It never happened." And she walked off without a backwards glance.
Lily smiled, a little amused at all this. She breathed a deep breathe, realizing that nobody hated her, and life was now back to normal.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lily never did tell the Marauders what happened that night in the corridors. Sure, they had asked about it, and were a little suspicious when Lily told them that it really was nothing, but they respected her decision and didn't pry into the matter.
The night before the final Quidditch match, Gryffindor vs. Slytherian, in the middle of April, Lily could not sleep at all. Flashes and memories of her previous fall kept filling in her mind. She did manage to dose off for about fifteen minutes, but awoke panting and sweating from a horrible dream she had had. She was up in the air, alone, none of her teammates or the other team members were out with her. Though, she was surrounded by thousands of students laughing at her, criticizing her. Then, the deadly bludger appeared in sight. Only it wasn't a bludger, it was Voldemort's head, and it was scowling and shouted out obscenities at her. Lily looked around for any help whatsoever, and miraculously, there was James, on his broom, zooming to catch her in time before Voldemort would force her off her broom. But, like in reality, James couldn't get to her and she fell off the broom after being stuck in the stomach by the head. She was falling, never breaking eye contact with James as he soared through the air, trying with all his might to reach her in time. She was nearing the ground. Falling, falling, falling...
That was when she woke up and got out of bed for a glass of water. When she hopped in bed again, she tried to fall back asleep, but she couldn't. Sighing, she flung her covers off her and grabbed her diary and a quilt from her bed. Tip-toeing down the stairs noiselessly, she saw that the fire in the common room was still lit and crackling softly.
She must have written in her diary for more than an hour that night. She couldn't remember what time she fell asleep, the only thing she remembered was sitting in one of her favorite arm chairs, writing intently, then the next second, being shaken softly on the shoulder by Remus, telling her to wake up.
"We've got Quidditch today, remember?" he asked with a smile.
Lily blinked a few time before smiling and nodded slowly, "Yeah, what time is it?" she asked, her voice crackling a little.
"It's about 8. James and Sirius and Peter are upstairs, still getting dressed. You better get up as well." He suggested. Lily nodded again and gradually got out of the chair.
"Want us to wait for you?" Remus asked.
Lily turned her head a little from the stairway and said a little more alert than before, "Na, you guys go ahead. I'll meet you down there." She answered.
Remus nodded and sat down in the chair previously occupied by Lily, waiting for James, Sirius, and Peter.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Thirty minutes later, Lily bounced down the stairs, a little nervous about the match. Just as the common room came into view, Lily smiled affectionately when she saw the Marauders sitting on the couch, talking about something she couldn't hear. She walked over trying to look stern, but failing horribly.
"Lillers is here." Sirius announced when he noticed her. James turned around and smiled at her from his place on the couch next to Sirius, and Remus and Peter looked up from where they were sitting in two of the arm chairs.
"I told you that you guys could go down. You didn't have to wait." Lily said to Remus, still smiling.
Remus shrugged, "That's what I told them. But James wouldn't allow it."
"Anyway," James cut in, fighting off a blush. He stood up and the others followed suit, "We should go to breakfast." He grabbed hold of Lily's hand and Sirius grabbed her other hand.
"Hey, Wormtail." Lily said as she leaned forward to see him walking along side Sirius.
"What?" he asked, leaning forward as well.
"Did you get that Potions homework that I was helping you with?" she asked.
"I got a little bit of it, I still think I need some help, though." He added a bit sheepishly.
"No problem," Lily said nonchalantly, "I'll explain it again to you tonight."
"We may actually pass these exams." James said laughingly.
"With all this studying Lils and Moony are making us do, I wouldn't be surprised if we all got O's on them all." Lily playfully shoved Sirius.
"At least you aren't breaking more girls' hearts this way." Lily said jokingly.
"Nope, studying isn't keeping me away from the ladies," Sirius said with a proud smile, "I've got a late night rendezvous with Kallie Miller tonight."
Lily shook her head, but still squeezed his hand affectionately. No matter how much Sirius' actions annoyed her, she wouldn't have it any other way.
They reached the Great Hall just then. Remus pulled opened the doors and they all went in, sitting with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team today. Many girls waved flirtatiously at James, Sirius, and Remus. Vise versa with Lily and guys.
Lily looked around at the team expectantly, then sighed in mock- exasperation when she saw that they all looked edgy and jumpy. Not a single one of them were eating, just staring at their plates. She knew she couldn't blame them, heck, even she was nervous, it was after all, their last game. But, still, they needed to eat.
'Guess it's time to start up the tradition again.' Lily thought to herself.
"Now team," she started abruptly, causing them all to look up, startled at her outburst, but those surprised looks were quickly replaced by forming smiles. They all knew what was coming. Cripes, the entire Gryffindor table knew what was coming, since they all quieted down and watched the familiar scene. Lily went on, oblivious to the stares she got from a lot of the students, and even some teachers, "must I always repeat myself. Like I've said millions and 'trillions'," she did her customary arm stretching to accent her point, "No fuel in the belly, no fire in the brain." And she started to pile all their plates high with food of all sorts.
Suddenly, the team didn't seem too nervous about the game.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright, team," James started, prepping the team in the locker room. He glanced over at Lily, eyes twinkling excitedly, "One more Quidditch game of the year and we've got our star chaser back for it. Know what that mean?"
"It means, NO MORE LOCKHART!" Eric, one of the chasers with Molly and Lily, exclaimed, high-fiving Sirius.
They all burst out laughing, thinking of the little scrawny 3rd year.
"No," James said once they all quieted down, "It means, we can actually beat Slytherians." Everyone cheered as Lily blushed, but still gave Remus thumbs up when he caught her eye and cheered.
"Now, I know we've beat both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. That's why we're here." He said obviously. "The only thing keeping us from the Cup is those bloody Slytherians. With Lily completing the team, we're unbeatable. Molly, Eric and Lily do wonderful teamwork. Remus and Sirius, keep up the excellent work with those bludgers like last time, and Derek, just stay alert and we'll definitely win."
Once again, the team cheered and James shouted over the noise, "NOW LET'S GO KICK SOME SLYTHERIAN BUTT!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"HE'S GOT THE SNITCH! PRON- I MEAN, POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH! ALRIGHT JAMES!!!!!!!!!!!! 350-200 GRYFFINDOR WINS! Gryffindor WINS!" everyone could hear Peter shout from the commentary box. The crowd went wild. Slytherians in the stadium were shouting "Foul! They cheated!" but the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuffs, and most of all, the Gryffindors were cheering deafeningly.
Lily, along with Remus and Sirius, zoomed their brooms over to James, who was absolutely glowing in satisfaction, waving the snitch around wildly. They all three tackled him when they reached the ground.
"WE WON, WE WON!" Sirius was shouting over the growing crowd on the pitch.
"YES, 350-200, WE WON!!!!!" Remus shouted along with him.
"James, that was GREAT!" Lily exclaimed, hugging him fiercely, which he gladly returned, and kissed him on the cheek.
Before she pulled away, he whispered in her ear, "Meet me by the lake at seven." Lily nodded to him, still beaming. She was about to say something, but she was engulfed into the crowd.
All day that day, they were all stopped in the hall, congratulated and praised for their wonderful skills that day.
Around lunchtime, most of the students were in the Great Hall. Lily was a little curious about what James wanted to talk to her about, but she didn't pry on the subject, he would tell her then, she just had to wait.
"I can't believe we won." Lily said, still beaming with pride at them all.
"I can, you guys played bloody well today." Frank told them.
James was about to say something, but was interrupted by Rodger Millet, a fifth year Hufflepuff, "Hi Lily." He said somewhat arrogantly. The Marauders knew where this was going. James turned his head towards Sirius, Remus and Peter for a second, raising his eyebrow at them. Sirius and Remus simultaneously shook their heads, their eyebrows raised as well. Peter rolled his eyes at the boy. Lily was listening to him as he congratulated and complimented her, but was inwardly begging for a rescue from one of the guys, "Want to go out with-,"
"Alright, alright," Sirius started, holding up his hand to stop Rodger from continuing. Rodger gulped, knowing he had not passed the Marauder's test. Sirius went on, "What do you think this is, 'Charity Day'? When have we every let her date?"
"I...uh, I mean, uh..." Rodger stuttered, bracing himself for hexing.
James stood up and said in a calm voice, glancing at Lily's pleading eyes before doing so, "Since we're all in a good mood, we'll let this go by." Rodger let out a breath of relief. James went on, "But don't let it happen again."
Rodger shook his head so fast Lily was afraid it would snap in half, "Oh, no sir, I mean, James, it will 'never' happen again. I promise." He said in a quick, high pitched voice.
He just stood there, staring at them all until Sirius spoke up with an eyebrow raised and said in a patronizing voice as though he were talking to a two year old, "You may go."
Rodger turned beat red and rushed off. Lily turned back to the group and said almost sternly, "Honestly you guys, can't you give them a break?"
"You mean you actually wanted to go out with him?" Remus asked incredulously.
"Well, no, but still, everyone is terrified of you guys." Lily sighed and said, fighting off a laugh, "What 'will' I do with you four?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'She's not going to show, she's not going to show,' James repeated silently to himself as he checked his watch. 7:05. 'This was a mistake, I should have never told her to come.'
James was outside, by the lake. It was beautiful scenery. The sun was just starting to set and the shimmering water looked like thousands of crystals all in a large bowl. The cool, comforting breeze swayed the trees all around him, making a soothing rustling. James was dressed in his regular school uniform, although he didn't have his tie on and his sleeves were rolled up casually.
He had seated himself on a rock, staring out into the lake, inwardly panicking. Lily had yet to show up, and James was half relieved. Tonight, he planned on telling her about how he felt about her.
Just at that moment, James turned around at a sound. Lily came panting up behind him, looking fluster, but lovely. She too had her uniform on, although she still had her tie on, but it had been loosened. She was probably one of the few that could actually look attractive in that uniform. Her hair stumbled passed her shoulders. James realized just how much it had grew since last year.
She looked incredible.
"I-I'm sorry James. I...I fell asleep...and...just woke...up," she managed to gasp out, clutching a stitch on her side. Her face had a pink tinge to it, and James thought it looked absolutely adorable.
He got up and walked over to her, "That's ok, Lils, it's only 7:08."
Lily smiled at him, still catching her breath and said as she sat down on a rock, and he sat down on one next to it, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
James breath suddenly came in ragged gasps. This was it. It was time to finally tell her how he felt. He looked at her squarely in the eye. Her eyes, so green, so wonderfully green, showing concern.
"Is something wrong, James? Is it your family? Did something happen?" she asked, a little frantic.
James shook his head quickly and finally found his voice, "N-no, it's nothing bad. Actually, I guess it depends on your point of view." Seeing her confused looked, he went on, "Um...this is really hard to say." He confessed as he ran his hand through his hair absently.
Lily took his hand in her small one, "James, it's me, you can tell me anything."
James took a deep, "Ok. Y-You see Lily, the thing is, well, I've always liked-,"
"Prongs, Flower, fancy seeing you two here!" a voice shouted from behind them. They both spun around to see Sirius walking casually up to them.
Lily smiled while James hid a scowl. "Oh, Sirius," James began in an emotionless voice, "What on earth are you doing here?"
"I have a date I'm meeting here in a few minutes," Sirius said, leaning up against a tree. "What are you two doing out here?" he asked curiously.
"James wanted to talk." Lily said simply. She had a feeling it was something he didn't want to say in front of Sirius, so she said as she got up of her rock, "We can discuss this later in the common room, alright hon."
James forced a smile and nodded, watching as she walked off.
"Bye Lils!" Sirius shouted after her, she looked back and waved.
James then turned his attention to Sirius, scowling at him in frustration now, "Impeccable timing, Sirius." He said sarcastically before he walked off.
Sirius shrugged, confused, but his attention was captured a few seconds later by his date walking through the lawn towards him. "Kal-lie." He said in a sing-song voice as he offered her his arm.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite Lily's words, James didn't get a chance to talk to her alone that night. Or any other night for that matter. Remus made sure that every night was spent on studying. Lily agreed whole-heartedly with him. She had been doing pretty well on catching up on all her subjects. Different people would help her, let her copy down their notes, pronounce the spells correctly for her, and so on.
Pretty soon, before anyone knew it, May 30th, D-day Eve, had come. Literally every 7th year and 5th year, yes every 5th year, meaning Cassandra and her lackeys, were all in the common room till the wee hours of the night, studying like mad. A tense lot they were. One time, around 8:30 that night, a 1st year accidentally made that bed choice of sneezing 'twice'. Halfway through the poor boy's second sneeze, a much stressed seventh year named Edgar Finnly snapped at him to "SHUT UP!"
After that incident, almost all of the lower classmen and sixth years retreated to their dormitory for the night, leaving the others to study in peace.
It was now around 11:30 and Lily and the Marauders were sitting on a couch and arm chairs surrounding the fire. Lily was reading over some of her notes casually, fully confident that she knew this stuff now, Remus, James, and Peter were all reading frantically in their text books, and Sirius appeared to be just as calm as Lily was about all this, for he had fallen asleep in his armchair.
Suddenly, without a warning to anyone else in the common room, Peter shouted insanely, "Tomorrow's the OWLs!" every seventh year "SHHH!" him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N- I am so sorry it took so long to update. I'm going to stick to the normal, overused excuse of "First Week of School Syndrome". Anyway, enough of my mindless blabbing that no one cares about. How about I type something that is a little bit interesting? Here's the preview ladies and gentleman. Oh, by the way, to EbonyQuill- Is It Really You? will be ending when they die. It still has quite a bit of chapters to go. ;-)
*"I don't know what you are all worried about. It's going to be so easy."
*"Anyone else feel like they're walking to their deaths?"
*"You may begin."
*"That was really hard."
*"I dunno, I thought I did pretty well."
*"So, same thing as last year?"
*"We still need to do an end-of-year prank."
*"Potter, I swear, one of these days..."
*"Oh my gosh! Eww!"
*"Bye Cassandra."
*"You start up your Prefect duties next year."
*"I can't wait to see her again."
*"I can't on the first day. Let's make it the day after tomorrow."
*"I better go get changed."
*"Here we are."